?i/GHT International, 25 March 1965
freely there. While outside the ship, the cosmonaut examined the
outer surface of the ship, took pictures with his cine camera and
carried out visual observations of the Earth and outer space. After
fulfilling the programme, Cosmonaut Leonov re-entered the space-
ship.
"Altogether, Cosmonaut Leonov spent about 20min in conditions
of outer space, including lOmin outside the spaceship. The entire
procedure of leaving the spaceship and returning to it was earned
out under the control of the ship's commander, with whom con-
linous communication was maintained. The commander of the
spaceship, Col Belyayev, reported to the flight control centre:
'The assignment concerning the leaving and return to the spaceship
has been carried out in full. The parameters in the cabin are within
normal limits. Further work is proceeding in strict accordance with
the flight programme'."
Details of Leonov's space suit were given in further official
communiques: "The space suit which enabled man to leave his
space capsule opens up new prospects for solving the secrets of the
universe, says a Soviet physician, Vladimir Krichagin, in a com-
mentary for Tass. It is in fact a miniature hermetic cabin which
consists of a metal helmet with a transparent visor, a multi-layer
hermetic suit, gloves and specially designed footwear. The space
suit has its own power circuit feeding communications, and a
system for transmitting of physiological functions.
"It goes without saying that when the space suit becomes an
individual capsule, normal conditions cannot be ensured. It is
impossible to create atmospheric pressure within the suit because
it would then inflate like a football bladder and the man would turn
into a statue, unable to bend his legs and arms. Research showed
that the air pressure inside the space suit should be at least 0.4
atmospheres. Even in this case, the space suit inflates considerably
and it is tiring to work inside without special devices.
"Physiologists decided to eliminate nitrogen from the cosmonaut's
organism before he finds himself in airless space. It was established
that prolonged (over one hour) respiration in pure oxygen literally
washes nitrogen out of the tissues of the body and then the pressure
can be safely reduced. It was in this way that it was possible to free
a man in the space suit from a considerable portion of the immobiliz-
ing effect of an 'inflated football bladder'.
"There must be a steady supply of pure oxygen for the cosmonaut
in his space suit. It should be borne in mind that his body, too, has
to 'breathe' and that every hour his organism has to give off up to
300 kilocalories of heat into the surrounding media. Otherwise his
body's temperature will go up and he may come down with a heat
stroke. To avoid this the space suit has a special air-conditioning
system through which air at room temperature is pumped into the
space suit. This air carries away excess heat of the organism and
skin-exuded moisture.
"To protect man in space from the heat of solar rays and from
the cold in the shadow of the Earth or the ship, the space suit is
covered by a powerful thermal insulation layer and coated with a
light colour that deflects heat rays. The air for ventilation and
oxygen for respiration can be taken from the capsule and from
cylinders attached to the space suit (naturally for short periods of
time). In these simply designed but economical space suits of the
ventilation type, the used air is ejected into the outer environment.
"Space suits of the so-called regenerating type are more com-
plicated. In such space suits the available air and hydrogen supply
circulates from the space suit to a generating device and back. This
device on the suit's surface removes carbon dioxide and excess
moisture from the 'used' air and also replenishes the oxygen supply
and cools off gases to a pre-set temperature. This type of space suit
may well be used for prolonged work in space and for landing on
the Moon's surface."
After a number of progress reports throughout the flight, the
following Tass announcement was broadcast at 1.55 p.m. GMT
on March 19: "Col Belyayev and Lt-Col Alexei Leonov safely
landed aboard the ship Voskhod 2 in the area of the city of Perm,
West of the Urals, at 12.02 Moscow time (09.02 GMT). In landing,
the commander of the ship used the system of manual control.
The ship's commander, Pavel Belyayev, and co-pilot Alexei Leonov
are feeling well.
"Their programme of scientific experiments was carried out in
full. A complex experiment was made successfully during the
flight, opening a new stage in Man's conquest of space: a cos-
monaut dressed in a special spacesuit with an autonomous life
support system floated freely in outer space. The data received
during the flight of Voskhod 2 are being tabulated and analysed."
Alexei Leonov about to leave Voskhod 2, as seen on Soviet television. The
projection on the right was stated to hold a cine camera
Further views (above and below) of Leonov after leaving the spacecraft
during the second orbit. Attached by line to the Voskhod, the cosmonaut
floated to a distance of about five metres from the craft, took cine films
and carried out unspecified experiments and observations